Being a proud owner of a Ryobi BT3100 table saw, I frequent the forums over at BT3 Central. If you've never been to that site, it's rich with information about this table saw, and woodworking in general. The site is not sponsored by any manufacturer or company, but is funded through the generous donations of it's members.
For 2005 (actually it all started in late 2004, but I digress...) in addition to the traditional fund raising efforts, it was decided to have a contest. All were invited to enter the contest, and the $10 entry fee would go to support the site.
The rules were (fairly) simple: go to a home center, buy a 8 foot construction grade 2x6, and build something out of it. Use no more than $15 worth of hardware, and everything but glue, brads, biscuits, etc. had to come from the 2x6.
Well, I am a terribly competitive person by nature. When I decide to compete, I do not intend to lose. I don't cheat and try to be a good sport, but I play to win. There's no point in entering a contest if I'm not going to give everything I have in order to take first place. I'm kind of dreading the day my son is old enough to play Candyland, because it's going to take every bit of restraint I have to keep myself from wailing on him.
Anyway, I delayed the posting of these pictures until after the contest deadline had expired (no sense letting on to the other competitors as to what I was up to!) Here is my entry to this years contest: a tilt-top table.
Tilt top tables aren't as common as they once were. They were used as the old-time version of a TV tray; hosts would use them to serve their guests tea or other snacks. The table top rotates so that once a person's cup of tea is poured, the cup can be rotated around to the guest. The top tilts upward for easy storage out of the way against a wall. Often times, the tops were quite elaborate so that they looked decorative when they were being stored.
My tilt-top table features a twelve sided top, with a six sided sculpted column. A simple "birdcage" (I didn't name it) on top of the column allows for both the rotation and tilt of the table top. A sliding catch prevents the table from tilting unexpectedly when in use. The three legs are scrolled with an elegant pattern, and attach to the column via sliding dovetails.
Because most of these tables are only found in antique stores, I designed mine to look like a rustic piece, rather than a contemporary piece of furniture. I think the pine (or fir, or whatever that 2x6 was made of) lends itself well to this look.
The finish is a single coat of Minwax Cherry stain, followed by six wiped coats of polyurathene thinned 50% with naphtha.
As per my normal self, I photologged the construction process. Feel free to join me on the journey. We began at the planning and preparation stage.
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This page last updated on 06/28/2018